SantaCon NYC 2013

Whether you look forward to SantaCon each year like a child preparing for the Fat Man in Red's arrival or you loath it with the fire of a thousand suns, its coming to town again. 
New York City prepare yourself for SantaCon 2013. The jolliest bunch of a-holes this side of the Hudson River is descending upon your fair city on Saturday December 14th. So grab your spiced eggnog and join in or get outta town!

As a seasoned veteran of SantaCon I have seen it take a turn from jolly holiday celebration with carol filled rides on the subway and reindeer games to a more alcohol centric mob scene with trash, trash and even some Jersey trash. While I am saddened by Santa's new habit of littering and disturbing the peace, I still feel this is an event which is dear to my heart and is worth experiencing. You don't have to stay with the big group, there are plenty of places welcoming to Santas all over the city. Here then are my tips for surviving and enjoying your SantaCon NYC experience.

1. Pace Yourself:
I cannot stress this enough for every adult beverage Santa has, he should drink a water in between and take time stop and enjoy the festivities. What's the rush?! We are going to be riding this sleigh all day.

2. Eat Food:
Yes, even a dirty water dog can count as nutrition when you are trying to go the distance on SantaCon Saturday. Don't worry about staying with the Santas. You will catch up. Sit down. Have some wings. Get a water with it. Getting caught up in the fun SantaCon can make your forget that you had an english muffin about 6 hours ago and should probably buffer that booze with a little bread and cheese. Have a water while your at it.

3. THIS IS STILL THE REAL WORLD:
You are still in a very busy city with very busy streets. Cops don't care that you are dressed like Santa. They will still gladly hand Santa a public intoxication ticket. Taxis will still hit a person in a red suit. Don't walk into traffic. Don't be that Santa. Don't. 

Via nydailynews.com

4. Stop for Photos and Fun:
Keep in mind the season that brought us all this fun. Take silly pictures with your friends. Take time to sing a carol for a stranger. If a kid is into you. Stop and say Hi. Be appropriate. I shouldn't even have to be writing this.

5. DRESS UP
Well duh. What I really mean is put in some effort. A santa hat and terrible cheap red suit is not going to get you any points. Get creative, get weird, find your inner Lady Gaga. The best part of SantaCon is seeing some of the funny, amazing and creative outfits people put together. Sure you could buy a Buddy the Elf outfit at HalloweenCostumes.com but you will be one of 999 Buddy the Elves. Only a few weeks ago Buzzfeed had a list of 31 DIY Costumes for SantaCon of which I am very proud to be #16 The Candy Cane. HELLO! Get on my level!

Photo by Stephen Dettling

Here is a link to a fun DIY tutorial on how to make a HUGE gift bow headband for your festive SantaCon outfit!

CUTE!

5A. Dress up with a Group.

This is a pain in the ass to organize but I promise major fun. If you can get your friends on a group costume you will be a hit everywhere you go! Here are some Group Costume Ideas to get you started.

6. PLEASE DONT LITTER

Just cause you have a case of beer in your backpack doesn't mean you can just drop the cans all over the freaking place. Pack the empties back up with you until you are at a location such as a garbage can where it is appropriate to leave behind your trash. Santa would totally frown upon leaving behind your garbage and shedding bits of garland everywhere. Pick it up! Who the hell do you think is going to clean up after you and your crappy costume!?

7. Santa gives back

SantaCon NYC also asks that you donate some moola to go to designated charities of the event. For more information and to donate online visit NYCSantcon.com.

So remember SantaCon NYC as with any experience is what you make it. So go out there and have fun but take care of yourself and your friends and don't be that Santa! If you want to avoid Santas all together check out this map of Santa Safe areas in NYC by the Village Voice.

Love and Candy Canes,

KostumeGirl

NYC SantaCon 2012 is Saturday Dec. 15th. Get your Jollies on!

The temperature is dropping, the reindeer are restless and the elves need a f*cking break from that damn workshop!

Get your red and white on and follow Santa on the craziest, merriest day of the year...
Saturday December 15, 2012!

For text updates where the Santas will be around town go to the NYC SantaCon website. There you will find helpful information if you are a first timer or just forgot how this wacky thing works.

Some helpful hints from KostumeGirl.

Dress to Impress. If you think a Santa hat "will do" you are lame. Put more than 10 minutes of effort into your costume. Pirate Santa, Toddlers & Tiaras Santa, Evil Elf, Cowboy Santa, get weird with it. Do a group costume! I have a post with ideas for you cause I got your back.

Watch the Kids. Kids are going to be way interested in thousands of Santas parading down the street. Stop for pictures, be nice, the bars will still be there in a few minutes, don't ruin their image of Santa cause you had 12 Irish Coffees for breakfast!

Pace yourself. I cannot stress this one enough. Every year I see Santas passed out on the damn sidewalk by 4pm. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Not to say I have never been tragically over-served, but you don't want your friends telling you that you missed the massive Rudolph sing-a-long cause you fell asleep on the 2 train. Eat food, have a water break, go for a walk, trust me the Santas will be there when you get back.


Things to Bring: At least 2 non-perishable food items for Santa's food drive, a Metrocard, CASH (Tip bartenders and waitstaff for putting up with us), Gifts, Games, Props, Comfortable footwear, your jolly Christmas spirit (nobody should be getting into fights at SantaCon)

Well that's about it for now. Back to working on my 2012 SantaCon costume. This year look for me in winter white fur and diamonds. SantaCon's twitter can get overloaded and slow so follow me on twitter @kostumegirl as a backup plan. I'll be tweeting Santa's whereabouts all day or until I get too drunk to use Twitter.

NYC SantaCon 2011 is coming to town!

My trusted sources say that SantaCon NYC 2011 will take place on Saturday December 10th, 2011.

It's definitely not to early to start looking for a great Holiday spirited outfit for the most insane pub crawl of the year! Party City, Ricky's NYC, Toys R Us all have Santa outfits and accessories. If you have time to plan ahead, hit up Amazon for cheap Santa suits and customize one. Bedazzle it! Glue on extra fur! Make it your own!



My favorite SantaCon outfits are always the ones with a dose of cleverness. Some of the favorites that I have seen in Cons past are Run DMC Santas, Santa Khan (Genghis's Merry Brother), and Clark Grizzwold (with rogue squirrel on his back).
What's that you say? You are Jewish? That's no reason to not join in the fun. I have lots of Jewish friends who like to dress up and represent. All you need to bring is your spirit and a comfortable pair of shoes!


If you are a lady who prefers a sexy SantaCon look then I suggest you look no further than Katy Perry for inspiration!She really rocked the holiday costume at Z100's Jingle Ball in NYC. Frosty never looked so good!

The morning meeting places will be announced only a short time before the actual Con so keep checking the website for updates and sign up for text alerts. Once the Santas meet up for reindeer games it will be on to Manhattan to spread cheer. Singing carols and lots of HO HO HOs are in store however I always say "Don't be that Santa!". Pace yourself and remember to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Its a merry occasion and being inappropriate in front of kids is not the Santa way. Be nice, pass out candy, pose for photos. If things are getting to be too much for you, break off from the group for a bit and take a water break. You will be able to find them again later with the text message updates.

Kostume Girl at last years SantaCon

Here are some videos of past SantaCons in New York City. The tourists in Times Square were definitely not expecting all this when they came for a holiday in NYC!


Santas on the move! The MTA might not let you travel between cars, but they have no problem with carol singing!


So grab your jolly friends, pack a thermos of egg nog and get there early because the most fun is during the day light hours of SantaCon.


I will be tweeting during SantaCon so if the NYCSantaCon gets bogged down follow me @kostumegirl for locations!

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